Audiences of Latino, black, white and other ethnicities gathered at Emens Auditorium Tuesday night to celebrate those who led and struggled through the civil rights movement.
As part of Unity Week events, a theatrical production, "The Meeting," depicted a fictional encounter between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. The play was performed by members of TNT Productions, Inc., a theater company.
"It looked at the ideology of two great historical leaders to understand what they stood for," said Terry Fraser, assistant director of student organizations and activities.
The play proved to be a learning experience, said Nathaniel Tate, who played the role of Malcolm X and is also artistic director and founder of TNT Productions, Inc.
"I learned that Malcolm wasn't as harsh as he was depicted to be," Tate said. "And this (the play) is really all dialogue, so to come and listen has to be meaningful."
Key points of the play emphasized the difference between the beliefs of the two civil rights leaders.
Malcolm X believed in a violent approach to gaining rights for blacks because he believed that whites would never change their ways and remain stubborn.
King, however, believed that through dedication and especially love, integration of the two races would be possible.
But the play was not the only event of the night that highlighted black achievements.
Members of Alpha Phi Alpha presented their Martin Luther King Jr. Day Award to freshmen Ryan Goens and Devon Collins.
The award was created by the fraternity to recognize two first-year male and female black students who have the highest GPAs among all African-American students.
Collins, a psychology major, earned a 3.6 GPA and Goens, a pre-med and biology major, a 3.9. Both students received $100 gift certificates to the Ball State bookstore to be used for next semester.
The spirit of King and Malcolm X was also remembered through music. George Wolfe, director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, and also a professor of music, performed as part of Ensemble Nouveau, a musical group.
The ensemble played four jazz and blues songs which commemorated the struggle of the civil rights era. One of these songs included a saxophone quartet version of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen."
"We hear a lot about diversity but we seldom give a tangible expression of its value," Wolfe said. "Music is a medium for peace making and is an expression of the heart and soul."
The events of the night combined to teach and entertain, said university president Blaine Brownell and Kenneth Daniels, secretary of Alpha Pi Alpha.
Daniels said he believes that the theater production and other Unity Week events will eventually lead to racial awareness.
"It's like a helix," Daniels said. "It starts out small but gradually you build up and everybody will be on the same page."
Brownell said he saw Unity Week as a path for the present and future.
"What we aspire to this week we aspire to this year," he said.
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